Tiki mug spotlight:
Werewolf of London
Aooooa… Aoohoooah… the doleful sound wound its way through the alleys of 70’s London, calling to the children of those rain swept Soho nights. Circling bars and backstreets, loitering round kitchen doors, it seemed to be searching for… a Piná Colada… and maybe… a big ‘ol dish of beef chow mein…
Touted by its writer as ‘a dumb song for smart people’, Warren Zevon’s classic ’70’s hit, ‘Werewolves of London’ made its mark on a generation of fans across the world, whilst inadvertently contributing another cultural thread to the ever-growing tapestry of tiki.
“I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic’s… his hair was perfect”
Shop our exclusive designs on Red Bubble
Which is why when Trader Vic’s London celebrated their 75th Anniversary with a bespoke tiki mug, ceramics expert Andrew Cooke (based in Dundonald, just outside of Belfast) was top of their list. With a growing reputation for Kustom Kulture inspired ceramics and character driven tiki-ware, Andrew was the perfect choice.
We managed to hook up with Andrew and chew his ears-off about his latest creation (not in an undernourished wolf like fashion, merely in a ‘search for knowledge’ kind of way).
Q. So, Andrew, tell us of your inspiration for this mug?
If you’re of a certain age, the first thing you think of when you hear the name Trader Vic’s is ‘Werewolves of London’. I grew up with the song, so really it could not have been anything else for me.
Q. Why did Trader Vic’s come to you to make it?
I have to thank Fran from the Sugar Cane bar in London for introducing them to me at their Tiki Love event in June. Fran had seen my work on Instagram and this lead to myself making mugs for the event.
I believe Trader Vic’s had been wanting to do a werewolf mug and Fran put them onto my work as I specialise in character mugs such as Frankenstein’s Monster, the Bride and Gill-man.
(Take a look at our full interview with Andrew Cooke to see these fantastic tiki mugs in action).
It was surreal taking a call from Steven, the Trader Vic manager and we knew straight away the mug needed to be a werewolf.
Q. Every werewolf needs a name, what’s his?
I never really thought of it… I think Victor sounds good!
Q. What does the mug mean to you personally?
I’ve been working full time on my practice since 2012 and really just getting by, 2019 has seen the turning point and getting to make a mug for Trader Vic’s has given me such a confidence boost to carry on. This year has been great and I have a load of cool projects on the go.
Q. What drink would you imbibe from this near mythical vessel?
It has to be a Piña Colada in honour of the song’s now legendary lyrics. With maybe just a touch of Wray and Nephew poured in its tiny mug for a bit of a fiery finish!
Q. Tell us about the process you went through in creating this piece
Really it was the song lyrics that give me the basic idea, his hair had to be perfect and he needed a drink in his hands. I started sketching out the idea whilst I was trading at the Hot Rod Super Nationals that summer.
To make a mug from design through to starting a production run can take around 7 weeks. That’s just making the master and the moulds. It’s such a slow process and you can only cast one mug per mould per day, so if you have 5 moulds, that’s only 5 mugs a day.
Q. Can other people get their hands on one, or is it a one-off to Trader Vic’s?
Because of the time constraints and myself being so busy with other projects at the moment, I suggested to Trader Vic’s that I would make this a one-off. If there’s enough interest I would love to do a limited run of around 100 mugs, so if you want one get onto Trader Vic’s in London.
Well folks, you heard the man, start letting the lovely crew at Trader Vic’s London know how much you want that perfectly coiffed howler of a tiki mug and maybe, just maybe, your blue moon desires will come true.
For a peak behind the scenes of Andrew’s life and work, take a look at our exclusive interview with this artisanal tiki mug maker.
And if you’re looking to acquire some of Andrew’s stunning work, here’s the lowdown:
- Instagram is the best place to find him as kookietiki
- Facebook: kookietiki
- Etsy: cookeceramics
- Email: [email protected]
- The prices of his tiki mugs range from £25 for a small one, to larger mugs at around £85.
For those looking to buy in bulk, the limit is around 100, with prices varying depending on size and level of detail.
Most of his orders are to the States, so shipping abroad isn’t a problem. 
A young Andrew getting his stock car training in at a VERY early age. No wonder he’s such a huge Kustom Kulture fan!
We put a whole lotta love, lime and rum into our work, so if you think your friends would find this article interesting, we’d be thrilled if you could share it with them!
Thank you. Mahalo.
